Pearn admits missing the competition that comes from racing; he just doesn’t want to be consumed by it any longer.
“Racing is still racing, throw a green flag and a checkered flag,” Pearn said. “I’m looking forward to getting to that side of it and getting into the action.
“But I don’t think I would be interested in doing IndyCar fulltime at this point. I’m definitely just focused on this race. Maybe after this race, we’ll see how it goes. I don’t know if a full-time schedule is back in my future any time soon.
“It’s too early to say. It’s definitely not the A plan. I never say never to anything. I have to have a job and be able to pay for things and stuff like that.
“Who knows? This experience I’m really looking forward to. I think it’s fun to be able to go and try something different. I don’t know what my view of it will be once it’s over. Anxious for the new experience.”
For Daly, he is working with yet another new engineer, something he has become used to in his unpredictable career.
“I’ve learned to just try to get along with everyone,” Daly said. “I have enjoyed working with a variety of people because everyone has a bit of a different way, they like to do things, a bit of a different way that they like to tune the setup. I think I’ve learned from that, as well.
“There are a few things that I know that I like in the car, and there are a few things that a lot of engineers really want to make work because that’s what they like. There’s a lot of different things I can learn from that.
“I’m a very trusting individual. I’m going to be, ‘Hey, I know that you are a very smart man and have done more school than me probably, have been in this racing world for a long time.’
“Obviously Cole has an incredible amount of experience in the racing world. Was a driver himself, as well. He knows what’s going on. Is there a lot to learn in the IndyCar world? Absolutely, I think for sure. There is for anyone, for all of us. We’re still learning every day, even me. It will be cool to see how that progresses.
“I look forward to getting into something new. This is an exciting time to get into the Indy 500 because it’s been a bit of a crazy year. I mean, I just can’t wait. It will be cool to see what his type of experience kind of brings to the table.
“You’re always looking for something else that 32 other people don’t have, something small. All you need is something small on race day to help you just do a little bit better of a job than anyone else. You never know, maybe a fresh opinion to the situation might give us that little advantage.”
For Pearn, this is an opportunity to try something new while being part of the most prestigious and legendary race in the world.
“I always followed it,” Pearn said of IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500. “I grew up a big fan of IndyCar, so followed it from that standpoint. Over time grew to meet and know a lot of people that were in the sport. I definitely wanted to stay paying attention to it. It’s not like going into something totally foreign. You at least know the players; you know what’s going on from that standpoint.
“This season, obviously a little bit weird, but I’ve been able to watch it in more detail, watch races a lot closer than what I’ve done in the past.”